“What Do You Do With the Mad That You Feel?” (Song)
From Mister Rogers' Neighborhood · 1997
2 minPre-KK1st2ndSocial-Emotional Learning
Summary
Mister Rogers talks about how children use toys to handle feelings, then sings the song he wrote for exactly this — the one about stopping when you have planned a thing that's wrong. Two minutes, and the single most useful anger clip in the catalog.
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All agesEmotional themes
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
The anger song — short, direct, and usable the moment you need it.
- What does the song say you can do with a mad feeling?
- Where do you feel mad in your body?
- What is a safe thing to do with mad, and what is not safe?
- Who can help you when the mad feels too big?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: mad, angry, stop, calm, choice.
Try it: Make a personal “mad plan” card with three safe things you can do.
Try it: Practice one of them right now — a slow breath, a stretch, or a walk to the window.